28/11/2006

TES ICT Blog: Using film-making and animation in lessons

MFL teacher and ICT expert Joe Dale investigates the potential of film-making and animation in the classroom

Films and animations can be fun to watch and fun to make. They can capture the imagination of pupils and transform dry topics into something much more engaging and motivating.

Admittedly, they can also be time-consuming affairs. However, the examples below aim to prove that with the right know-how, preparation and kit, animations can unleash creativity and cater for a range of learning styles.

In the Showcase section of the Teachers TV programme Secondary ICT SOS - PDAs and Webcams - Nicky Prince, assistant principal of Coombeshead CollegeNewton Abbot enthuses her Year 8 media studies group by letting them storyboard and make short animated films using a webcam and the free stop motion software MonkeyJam

Nicky demonstrates how simple animations can not only be put together in a short space of time, but also be displayed on an interactive whiteboard and informally assessed by the class.

To celebrate the filmmaking skills of the students, Mark organises a PiE film festivalevery year. In addition to traditional categories such as Best Actor and Actress in a Lead or supporting role, there is also 'Nastiest Villain', 'Most Romantic Moment' and 'Game for a Laugh Award'.

“a very inclusive piece of software, which enables all learners to engage and achieve success. Not only is this title good value for money, it has enabled students to produce outcomes of which they can be proud and it has enhanced their knowledge and understanding of a broad range of curriculum areas.”

Lesley presented some of the animations produced at Shireland CLC during her session Using ICT to create opportunities for language learners of the 21st century at Language World 2005 and I remember how impressed I was at the quality of the pupil productions on show. To find out more details of how Shireland CLC are developing digital learning resources in the areas of language and communication, you can contact Lesley via the SSAT ICT register,a list of schools willing to share good practice in ICT with others from around the country For those reluctant to venture into stop motion animation, there is always the digital video camera to fall back on. Have a look at these Gaelic puppetsin action produced by pupils from Ardchattan Primary, Argyll & Bute to see just what can be achieved with a couple of socks and a lot of imagination. Likewise check out À l’hotelcreated by two pupils from The Ashcombe SchoolDorking, Surrey. (Click the clapper board to start the clip)

PowerPoint is also a good way of creating ‘flip book’ style animations with or without narration. Here are some ideas to help you get started:

You can use the Duplicate Slide feature to create a story by making little changes to each slide in a linear order as in this Stickmen example.

Microsoft Gif Animatoris a simple tool for making moving sequences or animated gifs from a set of static image files. Here are some instructions on how to put one together.

Create a PowerPoint slide containing a suitably sized rectangle and set of text boxes.

Group the rectangle and text boxes together by holding down the left click and dragging over all elements.

Right click the selected image and click Grouping and Group.

Copy the slide eight times using the Duplicate Slide feature in the Insert Menu.

Change the text colour of the appropriate text box on each slide, by right clicking on its edge and selecting Font. Click on the dropdown menu under Color and select More Colors. Choose your preferred colour and then click OK twice.

Right click each image and select Save As Picture ...

Click on the dropdown menu next to Save as type and scroll up to GIF Graphics Interchange Format

Import the GIF images in the reverse order that you want them to appear.

Click on the Animation tab and check Looping and Repeat Forever.

Click on the Image tab and decide how fast you want each frame to appear.

Save your animated GIF and check it works by embedding it into a PowerPoint presentation or webpage.

Animations don't have to be very complicated to be effective. I wouldn't describe my ER verb endings example above as being particularly revolutionary, but it does fulfil a purpose i.e. reminding pupils of an essential point of grammar.

Filmmaking on the other hand can open up whole new possibilities. You can use glove puppets, plasticene characters or 2D paper animations for your characters, include voiceovers or subtitles to aid comprehension and put your films on the school website, blog or as use them as a lesson resource.

Why not ask your pupils and see what ideas they come up with? The results could be very interesting.